The Streets and Bridges of Ljubljana
Ok folks, Ljubljana is our new favorite city! We like to think of it as the new Prague. Wow, what a charming old town this place has. We ended up finding some really convenient motorbike parking about a block from the central part of old town, which is a pedestrian only zone, where the Triple Bridge (Tromostovje in Slovene and designed by famous local architect Jože Plečnik) is located. This city has such a great vibe, so clean and full of good energy. After a short time walking the streets, we saw signs for the Ljubljana Castle so we figured that might be a good way to get an overview and some good photos of the city.
Meandering the streets of Ljubljana, is a treat they are as charming as any European city you can imagine. We walked the Triple Bridge and back and forth along the Ljubljanica River. We came across tour boats that take you along the river for a view of Ljubljana from a different perspective. We picked a beautiful wooden boat and paid a nominal fee of about 12 Euro for a 45 minute ride. It was a great way to see the city and also parts of the river just outside the downtown, complete with sightings of beavers!
Ljubljana Eateries
We found a great pizzeria right along the river, were we had a pie that would be envy of any pizzeria in Italy. Having split a normal size pizza and a great Greek style salad, I was in search for a good gelato and I knew right where to go. In the morning on the way to the castle, we passed a gelato shop that was still closed, but you could see the gelato master making the gelato through the window. I knew we had to go back in the afternoon. So we ended up back at Vigo, the gelateria, after dinner. This place was the best gelato EVER and I highly recommend it, in fact you should go to Ljubljana just to have this gelato!
We polished off the gelato as we walked the river again and got some photos of the famous Dragon Bridge. Then we headed back to the main square at the Triple Bridge and just people watched for over an hour. We were treated to a 4 person ensemble of public musicians that inspired a bunch of young kids to start dancing and encouraging others to join in. As the sun went down the energy grew and soon there were dozens of people dancing to what I would describe as Turkish music, something you more expect to see in Istanbul, not Ljubljana, but it worked really well! We again felt treated to an authentic experience that was spontaneous and not part of a bus tour. Adventure travel is so much fun!! We love Slovenia!
I’ll note that Ljubljana has two nice parks on either side of the city, only one of which we drove through on the way to and from town (Tivoli City Park). We’ll have to check these out during our return trip to Slovenia.
